If you’ve been fighting with Shadow Pokémon in your collection, you’ve probably learned that the Frustration move is dreadful in combat. Don’t worry—you’re not the only one going through this. I’m here to help you turn those Shadow powerhouses into the battle-ready creatures they were meant to be.
After years of managing Shadow Pokémon collections and helping many trainers make their teams better, I’ve discovered that getting rid of Frustration isn’t simply about understanding when to use a TM. It’s about making plans, managing resources, and knowing how the system really works at a deeper level. This book will be your best friend. It will cover everything from the very fundamentals to the advanced methods that the best players use to win.
The Complete Guide to Understanding Frustration in Pokémon GO
To begin, let’s talk about what Frustration really is. Knowing what this move does can transform how you handle Shadow Pokémon totally.
Frustration is a Normal-type Charged Attack that only does 10 damage. This move is on every Shadow Pokémon you get from Team GO Rocket grunts, leaders, or Giovanni. It’s not an accident.
Here’s something that most tutorials won’t tell you: Niantic made Frustration an intentional hurdle, not just a random inconvenience. The developer wants to give players real choices, including whether to invest right away in a Shadow Pokémon that can’t realize its full potential or plan ahead and wait for the ideal time to unlock its true strength.
This way of thinking about design is strongly related to the Team GO Rocket tale. In the game’s story, Shadow Pokémon are tortured and corrupted, which makes them feel bad and causes the Frustration attack. From a story point of view, it’s pretty smart that these Pokémon are so angry and frustrated that they can’t use their natural moves well.
Frustration is a resource gate in terms of game balance. Without this restriction, Shadow Pokémon would quickly take over every part of the game because they have a 20% attack bonus. Instead, trainers have to spend time, plan, and money to uncover their potential, which makes the advancement system more interesting.
Expert Insight: Knowing how frustration works as both a story element and a way to keep things balanced will help you make better long-term choices about which Shadow Pokémon need your attention right away and which ones can wait in storage. Just changing the way I look at things has helped me keep my collection more ordered and planned.
The ONLY Ways to Get Rid of Frustration (Method Breakdown)
You might be thinking, “There must be more than one way to get rid of this awful move, right?” I’m sorry to say that there are only two methods to continue forward, and one of them will affect your Pokémon forever.
Method 1: Special Rocket Takeover Events (Main Method)
If you want to get rid of your frustration, Special Rocket Takeover events are the way to go. Almost all competitive players use them. These events happen every three to four months, usually when there are big updates to the game or big changes to the Team GO Rocket storyline.
During these rare windows, which can last anything from a few hours to a few days, Charged TMs and Elite Charged TMs can eventually get past Frustration’s protective coding. No amount of TMs will change that move outside of these events, no matter how many you burn through (believe me, I’ve seen players waste dozens of TMs learning this the hard way).
The patterns of the timing have grown a little predictable. Niantic usually plans these events around big changes in the seasons, such the December Community Day weekend, the spring equinox, the summer solstice, and the fall GO Fest follow-ups.
Most tutorials stop here, but I want to tell you something important: these events usually always happen on Pacific Time (PT), no matter where you are. I’ve seen a lot of trainers miss their chance because they thought the event was in their own time zone. Always look at the official Pokémon GO blog to find out when events start and end, and then change the times to your local time zone right away.
Set up many calendar reminders for events to get rid of frustration. One week ahead, to get your TM inventory ready; one day before, to organize your Shadow Pokémon; and one hour before the event starts. I learnt this approach after missing an important occasion while on a trip, and it has saved me several times since then.
Method 2: Alternative Purification (Full Analysis)
Purification is a quick fix for the Frustration problem, but it changes your Pokémon’s identity and fighting capability in ways that are not always good.
When you clean up a Shadow Pokémon, a lot of things happen at once:
- Return, another Normal-type move, takes the place of Frustration. This move can actually work in some situations.
- The Pokémon’s level goes up to 25 (if it was lower than that).
- Each of its IVs (Attack, Defense, and HP) gets a +2 boost.
- The Stardust and Candy expenses for leveling up, evolving, or learning a second move are lower.
- The most crucial thing is that you permanently lose the 20% Shadow attack bonus and get a 20% defensive buff instead, which isn’t as big of a deal.
The expenses of purification are different for different species. For example, it costs 1,000 Stardust and 1 Candy for common species and 20,000 Stardust and 20 Candy for legendaries.
If the Shadow version doesn’t provide you a competitive edge or you need a flawless 100% IV Pokémon for your collection (a hundo), then you should merely purify. It makes sense to cleanse a Shadow Raticate, for example. One of the worst things a gamer can do is purify a Shadow Mewtwo.
Community Consensus: The competitive community has come up with a few “never purify” groups. These include legendary Shadow Pokémon like Mewtwo, Lugia, and Ho-Oh; top-tier raid attackers like Machamp, Tyranitar, and Salamence; and PvP powerhouses with perfect IV spreads. Keep a list of these priorities so you don’t make mistakes that cost you money.
How to Get Rid of Frustration Step by Step
To get rid of Frustration from your Shadow Pokémon collection, you need more than just having TMs ready when an event starts. The only thing that sets casual players apart from strategic gamers is how they prepare.
Getting Ready for the Event (Strategic Planning)
The weeks before a Frustration removal event are when champions are made. Get ready at least two weeks before any event that has been advertised.
First, do a full assessment of your TM inventory. Count your Charged TMs and figure out how many you can really get. Most competitive players want at least 1.5 TMs for each Shadow Pokémon they want to optimize. This is because they can be unlucky when they roll for a certain move later.
It’s quite important how you plan to get TM. Pay attention to:
- Getting through Tier 3 and Mega Raids.
- Joining the GO Battle League (rewards increase higher at Rank 16 and up).
- Doing specific research assignments and making research breakthroughs.
Next, use the game’s tagging system to sort your Shadow Pokémon collection. Make tags like RemoveFrust-P1, RemoveFrust-P2, and Maybe. Use search strings to easily find candidates. For instance, shadow&cp-1500 shows you possible Great League Pokémon, while shadow&4* finds your best IV specimens.
Pro Tip: Make your own search strings for each fight league and keep them in the notes app on your phone. For example: shadow&cp-1500&!frustration shows you TM’d Great League Shadows you’ve already TM’d, while shadow&cp1501-2500&frustration shows you Ultra League candidates for the next event. These strings are quite useful when managing a lot of things at once.
During-Event Execution (Quick Bulk Removal)
When the event window opens, being efficient is the most important thing. You’re racing against time.
Start with the Pokémon that are most important to you first, while your mind is clearest. Open your storage, use the search term or tag you made for RemoveFrust-P1, and go through them in a methodical way.
Here is my tried-and-true way of going through big collections:
- Set the filter to your most important tag.
- Choose a Pokémon, use a Charged TM, and make sure Frustration is gone.
- To get the Pokémon out of your queue, put a “Done” tag on it right away.
- Go to the next Pokémon in the list.
Keep track of how many TMs you’ve used so you don’t run out by surprise.
Don’t go too quickly and make mistakes, but don’t think about every choice for too long either. Your preparation should make the choices apparent.
Speed Strategy: Players who consistently process 100 or more Shadow Pokémon per event learn how to complete the TM process by doing it over and over again. The taps become automatic, so they can clear their whole queue very quickly and accurately.
Strategic Prioritization: Which Shadow Pokémon Should You Get First?
There are differences between Shadow Pokémon. Your TM resources are limited, therefore it’s important to choose priorities.
Battle League Priority Rankings
- Great League (1500 CP Cap): Look for Pokémon that do well with the Shadow bonus but don’t go over the CP cap. Shadow Swampert, Shadow Gligar, Shadow Venusaur, and Shadow Machamp are at the top of the list of things to do. The important thing is that the 20% attack boost often helps them win fights that their non-Shadow versions would lose.
- Ultra League (2500 CP Cap): The investment goes up, but so does the power. Shadow Giratina (Altered), Shadow Swampert, and Shadow Poliwrath are quite powerful. You will need a lot of Stardust and Candy, so focus on the ones you can genuinely power up.
- Master League (No CP Cap): This is where Shadows really shine. There is no doubt that Shadow Mewtwo is the most powerful Pokémon in the format. Shadow Kyogre, Shadow Lugia, and Shadow Ho-Oh are also very important.
Meta Expert: Right now, competitive trends strongly favor Shadow Pokémon that can do well in more than one league. For example, Shadow Swampert and Shadow Machamp are useful in all three leagues, therefore they are better resource investments than specialists.
Priority Framework for Raids and PvE
When it comes to Raids and Gym battles, the arithmetic is easy: more Damage Per Second (DPS) is better. The 20% Shadow benefit gives you a huge, direct boost to DPS, which lets you clear raids faster and with less players.
The best attacker for each category should be at the top of your list. Here’s a table you can use as a quick reference:
| Type | Top Shadow Attacker | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Psychic | Shadow Mewtwo | The best attacker without a doubt. |
| Fighting | Shadow Machamp | Easy to get to and quite strong. |
| Dark/Rock | Shadow Tyranitar | The best in two major areas. |
| Dragon | Shadow Salamence | Beats practically every other Dragon. |
| Electric | Shadow Raikou | The best attacker of the Electric type. |
| Ice | Shadow Mamoswine | Important for legendary Dragon raids. |
Raid Expert: If you’re a player who cares about resources, I suggest focusing on Shadow attackers that can hit more than one type. Shadow Tyranitar (Dark/Rock), Shadow Dragonite (Dragon/Flying with Hurricane), and Shadow Mewtwo (Psychic with attacks that can hit a lot of different types) are more flexible than choices that are quite specialized.
Fixing Common Problems
Things can still go wrong, even if you plan everything perfectly. Here are some ways to fix the most prevalent difficulties.
Why can’t I get rid of my anger? (Finding the Problem)
This is the biggest problem gamers have. If your TMs aren’t working, check this list:
- Is the Rocket Takeover Event REALLY going on? Check the in-game news, the official Pokémon GO blog, and trusted community sites like The Silph Road again. Don’t trust what you hear.
- Are You Using the Right TM? You have to utilize a Charged TM or an Elite Charged TM. Fast TMs won’t work.
- Is it a Pokémon from the Shadow? Make sure the Pokémon has a purple flame aura. You can’t take Return away if it has a blue shine.
- Is your app up to date? Sometimes, event mechanics don’t work right when you have an old version of the program. Restart your device and update your app.
Common Mistakes: I often see people try to get rid of Frustration from Pokémon they’ve previously purified (which can’t be done), use Fast TMs instead of Charged TMs (which won’t work), or try to get rid of it outside of event windows based on old information (which wastes resources). Before you use something valuable, always double-check what you think you know.
Elite TM Confusion and Problems
People keep thinking this, and it costs a lot of money. Elite TMs CAN’T get rid of Frustration unless it’s a Rocket Takeover event.
The “Elite” label means that you can choose from all of a Pokémon’s moves, including ones that are only available to them or that have been around for a long time (like Psystrike for Mewtwo). It doesn’t let you get around the event-only limit on Frustration.
The right way to do this is in two steps:
- Use a standard Charged TM to get rid of Frustration during a Rocket Takeover.
- After the event, use an Elite Charged TM to teach the special move you want to learn.
Advanced Strategies and Making Things Better
It’s one thing to know the basics; to really be an expert, you have to think about the big picture.
Managing resources and protecting TM
Don’t just keep TMs; take care of them. I suggest that you always have at least 15 to 20 Charged TMs on hand so you’re never caught off guard.
Do a cost-benefit analysis for your Pokémon. It’s okay to use more than one TM to get the correct second move when Frustration is gone if you have a strong Pokémon like Shadow Mewtwo. You might only acquire one TM for a lower-tier Pokémon, and you’ll have to deal with it until you have additional resources.
Efficiency Expert: Keep your TM reserves in line with the amount of your collection and your goals for competition. Casual players might only need 10 TMs every event, while serious contenders should aim for 30 or more to do full optimization. Check your past usage to adjust this number to fit your playstyle.
Combining with a strategy for building teams
Getting rid of frustration doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s an important aspect of making a team work well together. The best players construct teams that make the most of the Shadow’s strengths while masking its fundamental drawback, which is that it is fragile.
The “Shadow + Bulk” team composition is a frequent and very successful way to put together a team. This means putting together a high-damage, frail Shadow Pokémon with two hefty, defensive Pokémon that can take hits and provide you safe chances to switch. This lets your Shadow come in at the proper time to clean up without getting hurt.
When events happen and what resources are available in the community
Keeping up with the news is half the battle.
Keeping track of and predicting future events
Niantic’s official channels are the last word, although they don’t often give a lot of notice. You need to leverage community resources to stay ahead of the game.
- The Silph Road (Reddit): Gives you insights based on data and looks at patterns from the past.
- Discord servers, like GO Stadium, let you talk and come up with strategies in real time.
- Data miners, like PokeMiners, can sometimes give you a heads-up by looking at the game’s code.
In the past, you could almost always bank on a Frustration removal event happening over the December Community Day recap weekend. In-game events often happen at the same time as the seasons change (March, June, September).
Community Expert: The greatest places to get information are those that mix official news with community analysis. I use the official blog to keep track of time, Reddit to talk about strategy, Discord for real-time updates, and data mining sites to plan ahead. This method of using many sources makes sure I never miss critical information.
The End
Getting rid of Frustration from Shadow Pokémon isn’t simply a job; it’s a plan. It’s when you turn raw, untapped potential into focused power that wins battles. Preparation, setting priorities, and being patient are what make the difference between success and, well, failure.
Now is the time to start accumulating your TM reserves, tag your collection, and set clear goals for what you want to do. Keep in mind that every Shadow Pokémon you have stored is waiting for its turn. You can be the trainer who finally unlocks it if you plan and time it perfectly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I utilize Elite TMs to get rid of Frustration when I’m not at an event?
Elite TMs have the same rules as regular Charged TMs, therefore no. No matter what kind of TM you employ, you can only get rid of frustration during exceptional Rocket Takeover events.
What if I clean a Shadow Pokémon instead?
Purification takes away Frustration right away and gives you Return instead, but you lose the 20% Shadow attack benefit for good. This trade-off almost never makes sense for Shadow Pokémon that can compete.
How often do events that get rid of frustration happen?
Most of the time, events happen every three to four months, and they generally happen when the seasons change, on Community Day weekends, or when there are big changes in the Team GO Rocket tale. There will nearly always be an event in December.
If I only have a few TMs, which Shadow Pokémon should I focus on?
Shadow Mewtwo (if you have one), Shadow Machamp, Shadow Swampert, and Shadow Tyranitar are the greatest species to invest in because they are useful in many game styles.
Can you learn how to feel frustrated again after it has been taken away?
No, getting rid of Frustration is permanent. You can’t get Frustration back on that Pokémon once you’ve taken it off, so be sure you’re ready to use your TMs.
Should I get rid of Frustration before I evolve a Shadow Pokémon?
No, you can evolve a Shadow Pokémon and then take away Frustration from its evolved version later at an event. The price and the steps are the same.
What is the difference between Frustration and Return?
All Shadow Pokémon start with the horrible 10-damage move called Frustration. Return is a move that purified Pokémon get that does 130 damage, which is a lot more than what they usually get. Return is a far superior Normal-type attack than the other one.
How can I find out when the next event will be?
Follow official Pokémon GO profiles on social media, join Discord servers or Reddit groups for the game, and turn on push alerts in the game. By setting up numerous sources of information, you may be sure you won’t miss vital news.
